Your accountLog in Basket Search
English Folk Dance & Song Society
Cecil Sharp House
Vaughan Williams Memorial Library
National Youth Folk Ensemble
  • Cecil Sharp House
  • Vaughan Williams Memorial Library
  • National Youth Folk Ensemble
  • What’s on
    • How to book
      • Travel to Cecil Sharp House
      • Access at Cecil Sharp House
    • Gigs
    • Classes & Courses
    • Conferences & Talks
    • CPD
    • Dances
      • The Folk Dance Calendar
  • Learning
    • Young People
      • National Youth Folk Ensemble
      • Young Folk Club
      • Dance
      • London Youth Folk Ensemble
      • Holiday courses
      • Disabled Young People
    • Adults
      • Cecil Sharp House Choir
      • Saturday Folk Music Workshops
      • Dance Classes
      • Lectures and Talks
      • Monday Folk Singers
      • FAQs
    • Families
      • Family Barn Dances
      • May in a Day
      • Family Friendly
    • Practitioners
      • Professional Development
      • Dance Development
      • Folk Education Network
    • Resources
      • Beginners’ GuidesBeginners’ Guides
      • GlossaryGlossary
      • A-ZA-Z
      • Resource Search
    • Schools & Colleges
      • Artsmark
  • Artist Development
    • Seperator Test
    • Artists
      • Showcases
      • Commissions
      • Bursaries
      • Micro Grants
      • Musicians in Museums
      • Other Opportunities
    • Partners
      • Associate Company
      • Associate Artists
      • English Folk Expo
    • At Cecil Sharp House
      • Programming
      • Exhibitions
  • Support us
    • Donate now
      • General donation
      • Regular donations
      • Leave a Legacy
    • Support a project
      • Library
      • Dance Development
      • National Youth Folk Ensemble
      • Children and Young People
      • Artist Development
    • Membership
      • Starter Membership
      • Individuals
      • Groups
      • Libraries and Institutions
      • Insurance
      • Member Dance Clubs
    • Folk Shop
      • CDs
      • Publications
      • Book and CD Sets
      • Merchandise
    • Gift vouchers
  • About us
    • What we do
      • News
      • Advocacy
      • Equity and Diversity
      • Press and Media
      • Library
      • Partner Organisations
    • Who we are
      • Staff
      • President
      • Board
      • Annual reviews
    • Our history
      • Past projects
      • Gold Badge Awards
    • Publications
      • Folk Music Journal
      • English Dance and Song
    • Folk Player
      • In the Archive With...
      • Listen: Classic Folk
      • Folk Folk
      • Old Songs Podcast
      • Young Folk Club Playlists
    • Work for us
      • Vacancies
      • Work Experience
      • Volunteer
  • Venue Hire
    • Seperator Test (3)
    • Seperator Test (4)
    • Seperator Test (5)
    • Hire our Venue
    • Seperator Test
    • Seperator Test (2)
    • Seperator Test (3)
  • Members’ area

Open Days

> Take part in a band for a day

> Develop your creativity

> Play by ear

> Learn from inspiring professional musicians

> Explore folk music with other young people

> Find out about the National Youth Folk Ensemble

Book your free place now!

 
Saturday 27 May – Leeds Conservatoire

BOOK LEEDS NOW


Wednesday 31 May – London, Cecil Sharp House

BOOK LONDON NOW


Friday 2 June – Exeter Phoenix

BOOK EXETER NOW


Each Open Day will be 

  • CREATIVE – music workshops with highly skilled professional folk musicians
  • INFORMATIVE – Q&A about the National Youth Folk Ensemble
  • FUN – opportunity to meet and play music with other young musicians
     

 



To register for an Open Day you will need to:

  • be aged 12–18 
  • live in England
  • be able to play confidently on your chosen instrument 

Open Days are open to players of any instrument but not suitable for vocalists. No experience of folk music necessary. All playing and learning will be done by ear – no need to read notation!

National Youth Folk Ensemble Open Days are free to attend, but you need to book in advance. If the cost of travelling would be a barrier to your attending an Open Day, please contact us as we have financial help available. 

If you enjoy the Open Day, you may wish to audition for the National Youth Folk Ensemble. Find out more.


I absolutely loved this experience and it was very empowering playing with others, playing traditional English tunes but making them our own 

Folk is relatively new to me, and this really boosted my confidence.  


New to folk?

 
We have a range of resources to introduce young instrumentalists and their teachers to folk music: 

Folk Music Starting Points

Films to demystify folk music, produced by the National Youth Folk Ensemble creative team. Explore the resource   

Exploring English Folk Music

An interactive performance by renowned folk musicians Sam Sweeney and Rob Harbron with National Youth Folk Ensemble alumni. Explore the resource   

Folk and Traditional Music

A performance by the National Youth Folk Ensemble and folk band Leveret, with accompanying resources for teachers. Explore the resource   

There are many other resources for folk music teaching and learning on our award-winning Resource Bank.

You can also sign up for email updates (select the ‘EFDSS Youth News’ option).


Spread the word about the Open Days!

 
You are welcome to download and share any these materials:

Sample Instagram post

Sample Tweet

Sample Facebook post

Photo sized for social media

Download promo video (MP4, 7.5Mb)

 

  • National Youth Folk Ensemble
  • Meet the Ensemble
  • Open Days
  • Join
  • People
  • Youth Folk Opportunities
  • Watch and Listen
  • Background
  • Engagement Programme

 
logo: Department for Education / Arts Council England

×

Support us, and support the folk arts

We champion folk music and dance at the heart of cultural life, all across England.

Donations provide immediate support. But even more than that, they prove that so many people value what we do – helping us to secure funding from partner organisations.

Can you donate today? 

Donate now   Join us for only £2 a month
visa Mastercard American Express PayPal
Donate Image Logo
Contact us
Travel
Access
Folk Shop
The Folk Dance Calendar
Policies
Safeguarding
Code of Conduct
Booking T&Cs
Terms of Use & Cookies
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
LinkedIn
Subscribe to our newsletter

English Folk Dance and Song Society, Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent’s Park Road, London NW1 7AY, UK.
Tel: 020 7485 2206 | Email: [email protected] | Registered charity number 305999
Cookies: The English Folk Dance and Song Society’s websites use cookies: please read our cookie policy for more information.

© 2023 EFDSS.
Supported by Arts Council England